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The ability to make late–stage project decisions is commonplace but carries with it a myriad of issues, speculations, and resistance to change. Many of us have had to make a change [to a project] late-in-the-game due to module pricing fluctuations or engineering calculation revisions, but are uncertain whether the changes will create the desired impact or if we have the time and data to make the decision at all. Yet, we have to get these projects through the due diligence stage, build them and start generating kilowatt-hours.
Today's guest will tell us about a product he created to solve his pain as a project development engineer. And I think you'll find it could help you make better decisions as well.
Ashton Vandemark is the business unit manager for the Solar Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT) at Terrasmart, a provider of screw-based, ground-mount solar racking technology, mainly used for solar projects. SIFT — a design, performance and financial modeling solution — is Ashton's baby.
He created it at Sunfig, a company he founded in 2017 and sold in January 2021 to Gibraltar, a provider of solar racking technologies, electrical balance-of-system products, and installation services. Gibraltar, which had already acquired RBI Solar back in 2015 to begin it’s expansion into solar, concurrently acquired TerraSmart [in 2021] in a significant expansion of its solar portfolio.
While Ashton's role has changed, he still proudly promotes the early-stage feasibility tool he developed "to help clients gain confidence in their decisions, maximize margins, and submit winning bids with a competitive edge." He says SIFT can Increase a project's internal rate of return (IRR) by 5% to 15% and speed up the development cycle.
SIFT offers three value propositions. It:
Enables clients to identify the best possible project with granularity, potentially boosting returns and margins
Takes the guesswork out of multiple scenarios
Improves confidence clients are building the most optimized, competitive asset
In today's podcast, Ashton shares his experiences from graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from The Ohio State University through relocation to China and ultimately founding the company where he developed SIFT.
He has been passionate about the renewable space since college, so he was excited to land a job at SunPower Corp. He served as a project manager for two new product introductions in China, a new single-axis tracking platform and a module and performance validation project.
My role was unique," he says.
Liaising between teams in the US and China, he shared knowledge about design, performance, modeling and financial modeling. SunPower was developing projects — "its bread and butter up to that point" — and was starting to build products.
"I had the experience of being on both sides of that transaction, selling a product to a developer and also being the developer myself and trying to implement these products on sites. Through that experience, I recognized a very concerning pattern within my business and with the customers with whom I communicated. And that is that the development cycle and decision cycle is extremely fast," he explains.
He says the big challenge he identified was during preconstruction, in the feasibility stage. "How do we put our best foot forward on a particular site with its unique topography, weather and so on?"
Ashton credits a broad and cross-functional background for his success in building SIFT. Never siloed in the design, finance, construction or product engineering team, he had a role that allowed him to touch all those groups.
"I knew what a design looked like, and I knew the products' capabilities. I knew what a performance model was and how to create one. And I knew what a financial model was and how to create a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), identify an IRR, or calculate the Net Present Value (NPV).
"I wanted to connect the feasibility study problem to financial reality. I had the scope and understanding of that cycle and decent computer programming knowledge."
Ashton said it was a tough decision to leave SunPower. "But I was young and bold and jumped for it. I thought, 'Hey, if there's ever a time, if there's ever an opportunity where I might create something that could have a big impact on the industry and solve a real problem, this was it.'"
He and Sunfig co-founder Nick Sanderson went on to create SIFT. "Nick has deep computer science knowledge and is the cloud guru I needed to bring this to life," he recalls.
Ashton says SIFT differs from HelioScope, a web-based sales and design tool for solar professionals, in that it's ultimately not a design tool. "It's a decision-making tool, and it's a data generation tool. SIFT isn't sitting in a place where it will generate or be some CAD lite application for you to create a design. It's meant for you to ingest the early inputs from a project," he says.
Ashton shares many more details in the podcast, including evolving use cases. "A couple of years ago, the biggest thing we had to worry about is an underground pipeline popping up in the development cycle, but now it's module cost skyrocketing or a module just being unavailable and forcing an entire pivot," he says.
Intrigued? I hope you listen to the podcast and take advantage of a meaningful offer Ashton shares with all our listeners: a free month's access to the SIFT software. "If you schedule a demo with us, just note you came from the SunCast interview, and I'll make sure that our team sets you up," he says.
TIMESTAMPS:
(03:33) Ashton's early days as solar project developer
(05:25) How to optimize the utility scale product development cycle
(7:31) Challenges Ashton identified at pre construction
(08:53) Relevant skill set to Ashton's product development
(12:32) What Ashton built first
(13:34) What makes SIFT different from other market products
(15:20) What makes SIFT a data engine
(16:57) Early market validators in the design cycle
(17:58) How SIFT integrates with RPI's project development
(20:05) How SIFT is useful for product procurement
(25:31) Where to get the special offer for the SunCast community
(26:22) Wrap up
NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:
“You put the best product in front of the customer for a project, that’s a higher probability of a win”
Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
SUNGROW focuses on integrated energy storage system solutions, including PCS, lithium-ion batteries and energy management system. Pleae visit https://www.mysuncast.com/sungrow
ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.